. i know john paul ii, whom we knew quite well, went through a lot more ordeals and i think more health problems than pope benedict, but i don't -- i'm not in a position to criticize. i don't know what his status of health is. >> but if an american president retired on the grounds of exhaustion, they would be ridiculed, wouldn't it? >> i think it wasn't just exhaustion, but he wasn't able to handle the mental challenges to handle his job. it's up to him to make a decision. not been done much in the past. >> a lot of people when i said i was interviewing you. >> yes. >> said to me, as long as last time, said he's the greatest post president america has ever had. is that compliment or a veiled insult? >> i take it as a compliment. my wife would take it maybe as a veiled insult. we did a lot of good things when we brought peace to egypt. we formed an alliance with china after 35 years, we told the truth, we kept our country at peace for four years, which is a rare thing. >> incredibly rare. >> i think we -- peace and human rights. >> has the role of president changed dramatically do

conclave elected pope john paul the ii. he shared this nugget. michael angelo's depictment of the last judgment is an important reminder for the cardinals inside. >> i'm going to be judged on how open i am to the spirit and how faithful i am to what i hear in my heart. >> represents washington, dc, he's quite familiar with politics, but apparently he's leaving that here at home. >> read the paper and watch the television, you realize how intense the politicking on capitol hill in washington is. there's nothing like that in rome. >> most expected a new pope will be chosen in time to preside over holy week and the cardinal hopes to be back here in time for those ceremonies. >> lauren demarco, thank you. >>> following a big story tonight and the fallout from yesterday's crash on the daytona international speedway. today the race went off without any major issues, but yesterday nascar was brought to a stand still after kyle larson's car hit a fence, sending debris flying into the crowd. more than 30 spectators were injured, two were in critical condition. crews worked to repair the fence.

on the balcony joseph ratzinger chosen to succeed john paul ii who reigned as pope for 25 years. >> he had a hard act to follow. >> a very difficult act. >> reporter: father james marten is editor at large of the magazine "america". >> he is the beloved professor. >> reporter: benedict was a shy man with a great reputation in the church. a theologian a strong advocate for a return to tradition in the face of the modern world. but these were hard years for the catholic church and the pope. there was the agony of the sex abuse scandal in several countries. timothy dolan reflected on the toll of it all. >> when he speaks about the church, when he speaks about christian life they are the most noble, loving, the most elevated sentiments you can have. and for him to see the troubles, the corruption, the scandals that have always inflicted members of the church that's got to weigh on him. >> reporter: another scandal, his personal butler stole a trove of his private correspondence and leaked it to the media. >> he was an incredible shepherd and just someone i would look to as one of th

german succeed pope john paul ii was a victory for our country. in benedick's ministry, they combine high philosophical teaching with a straight forward manner of speaking and humanitarian kindness. chancellor merkel also commented on benedict's decision expressing understanding or his motivations. she praised him as saying that, as pope, he committed himself to interfaith dialogue. >> restrengthen the ties to the eastern orthodox churches. he reached out to jews and muslims. . xvi is and will remain one of the greatest religious figures of our time. >> i cannot imagine this. a pope is elected to serve until the end of his life. it is a decision that will perhaps make room for younger generation to take office. >> for the most part, his move received strong support from the german capital. >> for more, we're joined now by our religious affairs correspondent. john, you have and our correspondent during the entire time of his role. did the news, as a surprise? >> not entirely, sabrina. 10 years ago, he said in public that he thought it was appropriate in the modern world that a pope sh

beginning of the papacy of john paul ii. one of of the reasons it's in a better place today is because of pope benedict. who as cardinal ratzinger, he didn't get it at the beginning, but he listened and he learned and he pushed and he threw hundreds of priests out -- bad priests out of the priesthood. so the church is in a much better position today. mostly due to pope benedict than it was in the past. >> yeah, a lot of -- great to get your thoughts. a lot of people, of course, would disagree and still a lot of angst and a lot of people who say that the pontiff was stymied at attempts for reform. we will see what happens the next time around. we do appreciate your thoughts. reverend thomas reese, jesuit priest. thanks for your time today. >>> the last week and a half we have heard blt murder allegations against oscar pistorius, but he is not the only family member who's now in trouble. >> carl pistorius is facing homicide charges. all about a traffic accident. we'll have that story coming up. so...how'd it go? well, dad, i spent my childhood living with monks learning the art o

scandals that have really been a headache not only for this pope, but pope john paul ii, as well. the question of the pedophile scandals, the ongoing financial problems or complications or scandals of the vatican bank, which had a new president appointed on this last friday. obviously, there's a lot of talk about the changing nature of the catholic church. today, only one in four catholics lives in europe. most live in north america, south america, asia and africa. so, really, it's going to be a time for the church to redefine itself looking towards those areas where its numbers are growing. christi? >> going to be interesting to see if they choose a pope that is european or perhaps of another heritage. thank you, ben wedemen, we appreciate you bringing us the latest from rome there. >>> coming up in our 8:00 hour, we'll look at the intrigue and the secrecy in the church, as well as hollywood's obsession with the vatican. >>> so, i want to get you to washington now. take a look at this live picture of one beautiful sunrise. good morning to all of you waking up in that in d.c. and

, very hard act to follow after the predecessor, a globe-trotting predecessor, pope john paul ii, but pope benedict rose to the occasion, tacking trips to cube barks the united states, europe, the middle east, he really got around and got his message out, and he was very fond of keeping. he is a teacher, an intellectual so he tried to get his message to as many people as possible, from the very young to the very old. this last day in office will be february 28th. then there will be a conclave of cardinals and it's expected that position will be in the position in time to conduct an easter service. greg? >> amy kellogg, live in rom. >>> at catholics the world over react to this news, some are already looking at the legacy pope benedict will leave behind. most in the church view the pontiff as a conservative. not in favor of vary men reforms. he'll also be remembered as the church's leader during the child bows scandal that rocked the world. he apologized for the years of decades by priest, even meeting with the victims. >> joining us now with analysis, former fox news corresponden

shot himself. she is survived by her two sons. >>> tina fey and paul rud. >>> john lennon's widow, yoko ono is celebrating her 80th birthday. >>> tina fey co-stars with paul rud in admission. she plaids a princeston university admissions officer who finds out her son -- who finds her son she gave up for adoption. >> i liked the story. >> admission is out in theaters march 2 2-7d. >>> golden globe winner maggie smith is grateful downton abbey has a huge following i don't it is frustrating. i always see things i would like to do differently. >> hollywood has movie screenings and exhibitions ahead of the academy awards. >>> and just in time for oscar week argo is out on dvd tomorrow. the film is based on a suck he isful secret mission to rescue six americans from iran during the hostage crisis. >>> also out on dvd anna i didn't know na -- >>> good morning and thank you for watching wusa9 at 5:00 a.m. happy president's day. i'm andrea roane. >>> traffic is going to be a little bit light. >> we can blame it on howard. >> they are so cold right? >> it is really cold up there. >> we have

352 a share. dagen: current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. john paul dejoria is here and he is the cofounder of paul mitchell systems. he is joining us now from austin, texas. ten dollars an hour. you say yes to that. >> yes. let me explain how. people are talking about increasing wages. for the employer, many employers, they are saying i am raising my payroll 25%. same productivity. i cannot afford it. a lot of people are thinking that way. how do you increase productivity and be able to pay people more money? that is the secret. if somebody is hired, for example, $7.25, whatever they are hard for, you work with them. in three to four months, it is the ramp-up period of time. we will learn the job and how to create sub productivity of what we are doing. our business can have at least 25% more income because we are increasing productivity. if we do end up to 30%, how about $10 an hour. human beings are capable of doing a heck of a lot more. dagen: you are talking about a decision made by the business owner and operator. a private decision. not one mandated by the government. if the

advisor sae noticed the pope slowing down. we watched pope john paul ii suffer through the last few years of his papacy. maybe he wanted to avoid that. the former cardinal joseph ratzinger was touched by the charges of child abuse in the catholic church. bill: what happens next on the dates that are aren't? >> reporter: he's leaving february 28, 8:00 p.m. local time in rome. that leaves that very important vacancy and sets up a conclave of cardinals. vatican says by mid-march at the latest. vatican says we should have a new pope by esther sunday march 31. pope benedict will not take part in the conclave. usually a conclave happens after a pope dies. 1415 was the last time a pope quit in office. who is the next pope? he could come from developing areas of the world. it guarantees a lot of drama and a lot of black or white smoke coming from the roof is sistine chapel. march report concerns about the pope's health surfaced this past christmas eve. have it can watchers say he looked frail as he delivered the midnight mass. here he is riding in a motorized cart. the mass is moved up two

need for someone who has managerial skills, in terms of running the ship of state. neither john paul ii nor benedict were managers by nature. >> reporter: benedict's failures made public in documents leaked by his butler last year, laying out the betrayals and infighting in the vatican bureaucracy known as the curia, obscuring the pope's message and hurting his efforts to revitalize the church. how much of that can be blamed on the curia? >> i think most of it, frankly. >> reporter: george weigle, nbc's vatican analyst, says that leaves the next pope with a crucial task. >> he has to find someone who can clean house and who can make the curia an instrument of what we call the new evangelization, not an impediment to it. >> reporter: still up in the air, the date when the cardinals will actually start getting down to work to choose a new successor. currently, the conclave is scheduled to start some time between march 15th and march 20th, but the vatican says that date could be moved up. lester? >> anne thompson in rome tonight. thank you. >>> here in this country, parts of the northeast

. john paul ii is the one who put that into place. >> just speculation a lot of names being floated. who seems to be the top contenders. >> players keep changing. everybody seems to focus on an italian. he's the president of the council for culture. there's also cardinal who is the archbishop of milan. very much like pope benedict. another out of canada he hadz a powerful congregation of the bishops. also another italian president of the italian bishop's conference. >> also cardinal turkson of ghana. >> he would be the first african pope. i have been watching the video here and we have seen kind of pictures of cardinal turk son. also there's another african that has been speculated at the last conclave. he could possibly be the first african pope. now he is over 80 and chances are he won't elect him because of his age. after the pope steps down because of his aging pope at age 85 they are not going to go with an older pope. they will have someone who has stamina of running the church and also being the shepherd of souls. >> with all of the talk the first none european we here in america,

continue that and continue to use worked started by john paul ii. >> i would like a young girl pope coming under than the current one. i would like more forms to get women involved in the church. >> many here believe things have to change, especially to stop the solution catholics from turning their backs on the church. >> for more and are, john, we just heard about the fact that some german catholics are looking for more reform. how is that scene? >> it's a very german phenomenon actually. there is criticism and even hostility toward the catholic church in other countries and far less demands for theological reforms. in upper cook, it is a very on critical atmosphere. >> how likely is it that we will see a non-european? >> it is very suspect. they have not voted along geographic lines. if they had come and the latin americans would not have elected cardinal ratzinger seven years ago. >> western societies seem somewhat removed from the church. where is this going? >> it's a very old institution, isn't it? let me tell you is story. in the beginning of the fifth century, the gosse ove

and other issues. >> i want the new pope to continue that and continue to use worked started by john paul ii. >> i would like a young girl pope coming under than the current one. i would like more forms to get women involved in the church. >> many here believe things have to change, especially to stop the solution catholics from turning their backs on the church. >> for more and are, john, we just heard about the fact that some german catholics are looking for more reform. how is that scene? >> it's a very german phenomenon actually. there is criticism and even hostility toward the catholic church in other countries and far less demands for theological reforms. in upper cook, it is a very on critical atmosphere. >> how likely is it that we will see a non-european? >> it is very suspect. they have not voted along geographic lines. if they had come and the latin americans would not have elected cardinal ratzinger seven years ago. >> western societies seem somewhat removed from the church. where is this going? >> it's a very old institution, isn't it? let me tell you is story. in the be

begun by benedict's much loved predecessor, pope john paul ii. mind you any comparison between benedict and celebrity pope is invidious. a point made by fair-minded editorial writers. sex abuse scandal in church, involving homosexual priests continue to march catholic teaching and carries with it a whiff of sulfur. pope paul the vi a warned satan had earned the temple of god. working to eradicate the stain of abuse and apologizing publicly to victims and their families. in a move long overdo he recently fired the morally challenged cardinal roger mahoney of the los angeles diocese. it must be said, however, that while the church enemies have warmed to the scandal, too often catholics and n name only have used it as an excuse to ignore the teachings of the faith they long abandoned. and benedict's rest anything says the authority of the church is ambiguous. speculation runs high who will lead more than a billion catholics. although a fruitless guessing game often fueled by conspiracy theories. whoever is chosen will face grave sin. just last week, there is a report that pope ben

job it must be noted he was one of the oldest pope selected when john paul the second died in two thousand and five he's gone through a very difficult time misspoke a lot of scandal surrounding the church and the announcement that came out today as he said it i no longer have the mental and the physical strength to continue the very very strenuous tootsies that it can be for an old man. to represent the church in all its dealings has officials in the vatican has said they are now trying to find a new pope and to do that as quickly as possible they hope that will happen before easter but really a very very surprising announcement today from pope it is tom thank you for that update and to be talking to our correspondent peter all of in germany about this extraordinary resignation. for now let's talk to director of the national secular society keith portis word thanks for joining us here on r.t. today now well the reputation of the catholic church has been marred as not by various scandals recently but where there are any positives from pope benedict sixteenth tenure do you think. we

job before he became pope he was essentially regarded as the john paul the seconds papal bull dog he was the defender of the doctrine of fair for faith and not role he is accused of covering up sexual abuse scandals all around the world but also here in germany in fact in recent times there's been further controversy over this as the church here in germany canceled an investigation into child abuses that range but the 1940's and stop that investigation apparently according to the man who was conducting it because they weren't happy with what would be made public so there's certainly been controversy and it will be something that's picked over for a long time to come after benedict steps down at the end of this month. the director of the national secular society keith pushes wood says there's more to the official explanation of the pope's resignation i think doc trying to side has been an absolute catastrophe for the church it's actually lost. its authority in many parts of the world when you say that you're caring to. oppose politicians trying to bring in say same sex marriage laws a

. he is not very famous. >> he was a conservative pope, a theologist. john paul ii had more charisma. >> contra races were coming up -- controversy was coming up. i think he handled them with wisdom. >> the wise are normally the old people. >> time now to return our attention to some other international news. supporters are calling it a revolution, but critics are lashing out at the new eu agreement to cap bonuses. it is aimed at a re-piece of the financial crisis. >> those in favor say it will address public anger about the role played by the banks and the economic meltdown. those against it, notably britain's -- britons, say that it will drive talent out of europe. >> the talks took more than 10 months. negotiators managed to clinch the deal despite opposition from the uk. at present, bankers can receive bonuses of as much as 20 times their basic salary. under the new rules, which can come into effect next year, they could be -- capped at one year's salary. >> most important thing is that banks will be stabilized, that a are better able to withstand the crisis -- that they are bett

. this job before he became pope he was essentially regarded as the john paul of seconds papal bulldog he was the defender of the doctrine of fair for faith and not role he is accused of covering up sexual abuse scandals all around the world but also here in germany in fact in recent times there's been further controversy over this as the church here in germany canceled an investigation into child abuses that ranged back to the nineteen forty since stopped that investigation apparently according to the man who was conducting it because they weren't happy with what would be made public so there's certainly been controversy and it will be something that's picked over for a long time to come after benedict steps down at the end of this month. the director of the national secular society keith pushes wood says there's more to the official explanation of the pope's resignation. i think the dark triangle side has been an absolute catastrophe for the church it's actually lost. its authority in many parts of the world when you say that you're going to. oppose politicians trying to bring in say

selected when john paul the second died in two thousand and five he's gone through a very difficult time misspoke a lot of scandal surrounding the church and the announcement that came out today as he said it i no longer have the mental and physical strength to continue the very very strenuous duties that it can be for an old man. to represent the church in all its dealings his officials in the vatican who said they are now trying to find a new pope and to do that as quickly as possible they hope that will happen before easter but really a very very surprising announcement today from pope it is tom thank you for that update and so will be talking to our correspondent peter out of germany about this extraordinary resignation. well for now let's talk to director of the national secular society keith porteous word thanks for joining us here on r.t. today now well the reputation of the catholic church has been marred as not by various scandals recently but where there are any positives from pope benedict sixteenth tenure do you think. well sadly not because there were two major issues as rea

essentially regarded as the john paul of seconds papal bulldog he was the defender of the doctrine of fair for faith and not role he is accused of covering up sexual abuse scandals all around the world but also here in germany in fact in recent times there's been further controversy over this as the church here in germany canceled an investigation into child abuses that ranged back to the 1940's and stop that investigation apparently according to the man who was conducting it because they weren't happy with what would be made public so there's certainly been controversy and it will be something that's picked over for a long time to come after benedict steps down at the end of this month where for more on the pope's unexpected resignation let's talk to anti abuse campaign up barbara doris she joins me live now from the u.s. barbara did pope benedict the sixteenth managed to restore the image of the catholic church in light of the geishas and other scandals. no we don't believe he did we believe that he uttered words he said they were still through the priesthood he apologized to the vi

when pope john paul died he was 85 years old. the current pope is 85 as well and if you reach a certain age and you cannot function. you should step down and give way to younger people. no american has ever been picked as polk. why no mechanism to this code?. it is unlikely to happen here because it would give too much power the united states. that history is shown us he believes the cardinals will look some roast. that broke saturday. the red cross is helping 22 people find shelter after a deadly fire on treasure island. this apartment caught fire around 12:30 saturday morning. five people escaped one of the units, but not this little girl. seen here in a blue tank top, 10-year-old corn-lina godfrey died in the fire. neighbors whose apartments burned say their loss is not comparable to the girl's family. >> "the story really speaks for itself.it's horrible." it took firefighters nearly two hours to get the flames investigators are still trying to determine the cause. in the meantime, the red cross is working with catholic charities on new housing for the displaced residents. >>

longer the pope, he has to give up the shoes but remember, john paul ii wore the red shoes for a couple weeks early on in his pontificate, then wore brown ones. the pope can really do what he wants. he's the supreme pontiff, the supreme ruler of the church and he kind of can make the rules himself and benedict made these himself today. >> interesting. although as you said, raymond, i say this, you know, can't change the doctrine, right? you do everything. >> can't do that. he can protect the doctrine but not amend it. >> let me talk about one other thing. he wears a ring, fisherman's ring. describe it to me and why he's going to actually destroy it. it looks kind of fluorescent green or yellow on his finger. >> now, this goes back to 1265. pope clement iv referenced this ring in one of his letters to a nephew. it is the sign and seal of his office. when you look closely, you are seeing a picture there, it is a bas relief of st. peter leaning over the edge of the boat pulling in fish. this shows and indicates that the pope, whoever wears this ring, is the successor of st. peter, the firs

thanks to your predecessor, pope john paul ii, this is one evangelical, not a catholic, who has appreciated the firm convictions of the catholic church and the popes who decided the purpose of church was not to be a mere thermometer reflecting the culture of whatever the world happens to believe in a given moment, but rather believes that the church is to be the thermostat that can lead the culture that is prevalent in the world, but whose purpose is to adjust the temperature of the culture to what it ought to be. and for that, i say thank you for faithful service to the bible and to the traditions of god's people. that's a good thing. well, scientists say that the meteor that streaked across the sky on russia friday morning exploded with the force equivalent to the power of an atomic bomb. maybe the shock of the blast, not the leader of the liberal democratic party of russia completely silly. he said those aren't meteorites falling, it's the americans trying out a new weapon. (laughter) >> really? i think he must think we have a great big bubble gum machine we're going to fire

child abuse now in his previous. this job before he became pope he was essentially regarded as the john paul of seconds papal bulldog he was the defender of the doctrine of fair for faith and not role he is accused of covering up sexual abuse scandals all around the world but also here in germany in fact in recent times there's been further controversy over this as the church here in germany canceled an investigation into child abuses that ranged back to the 1940's and stop that investigation apparently according to the man who was conducting it because they weren't happy with what would be made public so there's certainly been controversy and it will be something that's picked over for a long time to come after benedict steps down at the end of this month. and while the vatican is mulling replacement of the outgoing pope an anti abuse campaign a barber doris's told me that little will change as the catholic church hasn't done anything to bring alleged paedophiles to justice we believe that he uttered words he said there was filth in the priesthood he apologized to the victims but he to

regarded as the john paul of seconds papal bull dog he was the defender of the doctrine of fair for faith and in what role he is accused of covering up sexual abuse scandals all around the world but also here in germany in fact in recent times there's been further controversy over this as the church here in germany canceled an investigation into child abuses that ranged back to the 1940's and stop that investigation apparently according to the man who was conducting it because they weren't happy with what would be made public so there's certainly been controversy and it will be something that's picked over for a long time to come after benedict steps down at the end of this month where for more on the pope's unexpected resignation let's talk to anti abuse campaign up barbara doris she joins me live now from the u.s. barbara did pope benedict the sixteenth managed to restore the image of the catholic church in light of the geishas and other scandals. no we don't believe he did we believe that he uttered words he said there was filth in the priesthood he apologized to the victims but

from the catholic faithful. the mean reason, pope john paul, and much more theologian, and you talk about that he is much more interested in theology and doctrine than past popes were. >> eric, from our belief blog. we'll continue to watch what will happen with the breaking story. we want to get right to john with an update on other top stories. >>> carnival cruise ship is stranded in the gulf of mexico. a fire broke out on the carnival "triumph." there are no reports of injuries right now. and another ship is expected to meet up with the triumph and tow it to port in mexico and expected to arrive there by wednesday. >>> late joe paterno's family saying he bears no blame in the jerry sandusky sex abuse case. paterno failed to stop his former assistant's crimes, but the review of the report claims it is based on speculation and opinion, not fact. sue talked about this with katie couric. >> it is so hard to accept, but when i read the first charge, i actually got physically ill. i couldn't read any more for a couple of days. >> former fbi director louis freeh says he stands by the rep

became pope he was essentially regarded as the john paul of seconds papal bull dog he was the defender of the doctrine of full faith and not role he is accused of covering up sexual abuse scandals all around the world but also here in germany in fact in recent times there's been further controversy over this as the church here in germany cancelled an investigation into child abuses that range but to the 1940's and stop that investigation apparently according to the man who was conducting it because they weren't happy with what would be made public so there's certainly been controversy and it will be something that's picked over for a long time to come after benedict steps down at the end of this month well let's get more on the pope's unexpected resignation from elizabeth oldfield director of playoffs or religion and society think tank thanks for joining us here on r.t. today i have to ask you are there any indications that the pope may have been pushed out i suppose as a result of many behind the scenes power struggles now there's nothing like that we think coming up there obviously w

the john paul of seconds papal bulldog he was the defender of the doctrine of fair for faith. in what role he is accused of covering up sexual abuse scandals all around the world but also here in germany invite in recent times there's been further controversy over this the church here in germany canceled an investigation into child abuses that ranged back to the 1940's and stop that investigation apparently according to the man who was conducting it because they weren't happy with what would be made public so there's certainly been controversy and it will be something that's picked over for a long time to come after benedict steps down at the end of this month or is interested in your thoughts on current issues and we're asking you to cast your vote on our website on dot com and we can have a look on screen and see what you think so far about what's concerning the developments around pope benedict's resignation well for most of those who took part in the poll it really will make no difference as the vatican will be corrupt on the any leadership we can see about twenty percent of